Dodgers Hold Off Giants Rally in 9th for 9-8 Victory

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kyle Garlick, Austin Barnes and Joc Pederson each hit a two-run homer to help the Los Angeles Dodgers hold off the San Francisco Giants 9-8 on Thursday night.

Pederson’s insurance homer ended up saving the Dodgers, who had a 9-4 lead going into the ninth before the Giants rallied.

Their first five batters got on, including a two-run double by Brandon Crawford and RBI singles by Mike Yastrzemski and Stephen Vogt to get San Francisco within a run before the Dodgers’ defense came up big.

First baseman Cody Bellinger threw to third on Tyler Austin’s bunt to get Vogt. Center fielder Alex Verdugo chased down Buster Posey’s line drive and made a diving catch, and Garlick caught Brandon Belt’s fly ball near the warning track in right for the final out.

Kenley Jansen was charged with a run and two hits but was able to hang on for his 22nd save.

It was the third straight night the Dodgers scored nine runs against their NL West rivals. The last time they had three nights in a row against the Giants with nine or more runs was July 1977.

Garlick and Barnes — who each had three hits — drove their balls over the left field wall during a five-run fourth inning. Pederson came on as a pinch-hitter in the seventh and launched his 20th of the season to left-center.

The Dodgers sent 11 batters to the plate and had eight of their 16 hits in the fourth as they chased Giants nemesis Madison Bumgarner after 3 2/3 innings. Chris Taylor began the inning with a double and scored when Garlick connected on a Bumgarner cutter on the ninth pitch of the at-bat to homer for the second straight game. Verdugo followed with a single and came home when Barnes belted a fastball into the seats.

Taylor chased Bumgarner (3-7) with his second hit of the inning, a two-out RBI single with the bases loaded.

Justin Turner also had three hits, and Garlick had his first three-RBI game in the majors. The Dodgers have won six of eight on their homestand.

Yastrzemski had a two-run homer in the seventh for San Francisco, which has dropped four of five. Crawford added three RBIs.

Los Angeles lefty Julio Urias made his first start since April 18 at Milwaukee. Urias, who could move back into the rotation after Rich Hill was placed on the injured list, worked three innings and gave up one hit while striking out five.

JT Chargois (1-0) allowed a run in two innings.

Four pitchers for the Dodgers held the Giants to five hits and struck out 11 in the first eight innings before San Francisco made things interesting in the ninth.

A START TO FORGET

If this was Bumgarner’s last start against LA as a member of the Giants, it was not his most memorable. Max Muncy wore a T-shirt reading “Go get it out of the ocean” again during batting practice. The message was Muncy’s response when the left-hander told him “Don’t watch the ball, run” after Muncy homered into McCovey Cove in San Francisco for the only run of the game on June 9.

Giants manager Bruce Bochy said before the game that the Dodgers might be “poking the bear” by wearing the shirts.

“You poke the bear enough, you can’t be upset if he fights back, either. Some things are best to let it go,” Bochy said.

Bumgarner, who could be traded before the July 31 deadline, had his shortest outing in 35 starts against the Dodgers, as well as allowing his most hits to them and surrendering six or more runs for only the second time.

STREAKS AND STATS

Muncy extended his hitting streak to eight games with an RBI single in the first. He is 10 for 28 since June 11. … Turner is batting .344 (53 of 154) since April 26 with 20 RBIs and 14 multihit games.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Dodgers: Bellinger did not start for only the sixth time in 76 games, but entered in the eighth inning. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before the game it was a planned day off.

Giants: RHP Johnny Cueto, recovering from Tommy John surgery last August, will throw a bullpen Friday in Arizona. Bochy said Cueto is throwing 40 pitches per session and continues to make progress.

“He’s making enough strides that he could start his rehab in August, and then a month of rehab and he could be ready to go in September,” Bochy said. “This isn’t us pushing him, this is just the schedule that was set out when he started his rehab.”

UP NEXT

Giants: RHP Jeff Samardzija (3-6, 3.96 ERA) takes the mound Friday for the opener of a three-game series in Arizona. Samardzija has lost five of his last six starts and allowed a season-high nine hits in his last one Sunday against Milwaukee.